High School Football: Los Osos rallies past Glendora

With the final playoff spot in the Baseline League on the line, the Grizzlies faced a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and a nine-point deficit with less than three minutes to play before pulling out a 32-26 victory over Glendora on Friday night - thanks to three touchdowns in the final five minutes.

Los Osos avoided a three-way tie for the final playoff spot, much to the chagrin of Glendora (3-7, 1-4).

The Grizzies (5-5, 3-2) were facing a 20-10 deficit when a snap over quarterback Stephen Johnson's head was recovered in the end zone by Glendora with 8:31 remaining.

After a 15-play touchdown drive pulled them within 20-17, Los Osos gave up a 67-yard touchdown pass to Briton Noskoff on third-and-10 that made the score 26-17.

"That's when I thought it was over," Los Osos coach Tom Martinez said. "It was like we lost the game twice. But the kids kept fighting back when they could have rolled over."

Oregon State-bound senior Victor Bolden finished with 173 total yards, not including his 97-yard return of the opening kickoff of the second half that pulled Los Osos within 14-10.

With Bolden banged up in the fourth quarter, it was Johnson who took over down the stretch and completed 8 of his final 10 passes for 80 yards. The Los Osos quarterback ran for the final two touchdowns, including a gutsy dive into traffic for Los Osos' final score.

The Grizzlies answered Noskoff's touchdown catch with a scoring drive in just 1:12, aided by a wide receiver pass thrown by Bolden, who capped the drive with his second touchdown of the game. The senior finished with 86 yards on 18 carries and five receptions for 55 yards.

Only 2:30 remained after Bolden pulled Los Osos within 26-24, but the Grizzlies recovered an onside kick at the Glendora 43. Six plays later, Johnson scored on third and goal to give Los Osos its first lead since 3-0.

"It's Baseline League football and it's not over until the clock reads zero," Glendora coach Jerry Lewalled said. "You always try to play with the lead and run the clock. It wasn't any one play that lost it for us, it was just a hard-fought football game."

Glendora running back Cade Lindsey, who entered averaging 222 yards per game, rushed for 112 on 29 carries but only 38 yards in the second half.